Former Ashbrook coach honored with hall of fame induction

By Phillip Gardner

Published: Friday, April 12, 2013 at 06:49 PM.

Rhodes, a graduate of High Point Central High School who went on to play football at East Carolina University, coached from 1956 through 1970 at the old Ashley High in Gastonia and then the next 20 years at Ashbrook. Rhodes compiled a 336-174 record and won 10 conference championships as a varsity head boys basketball coach. His 1967 team claimed the NCHSAA 4A state title. The Ashbrook gymnasium has been named in his honor.

Rhodes was the head coach at Ashbrook when the Green Wave faced West Charlotte in a game at the Charlotte Coliseum on Feb. 28, 1979, that drew a whopping 10,076 fans.

Rhodes also coached golf for 33 seasons combined at the two schools, and then helped manage a number of NCHSAA golf tournaments. He earned numerous coach-of-the-year honors in both golf and basketball.

As many good times as Rhodes can recall on the court, some of the low moments sometimes stand out most to him. The 1974-75 season was one such example as Rhodes recalls no seniors returning for that season and only three juniors on the team.

“The kids worked hard. They were motivated. I looked at the schedule and thought, ‘Well, we might win four ballgames.’ But we didn’t do that.”

One day after the season, Rhodes was golfing when somebody yelled across the way, “How you doing, 1-20?”

That was the Green Wave’s final record that season, but Rhodes somehow drew a positive from the trying year. The team elevated itself to 15 wins and third place in the conference the next season.

Larry Rhodes didn’t always need words to make a point during his coaching days.

The stare said it all.

“He’d look across the court and you knew you had messed up,” said Dr. Marvin Schrum, who played for Rhodes from 1970 to 1972.

Rhodes sure had a way of communicating effectively to his players. But in most cases, the delivery wasn’t nearly important as the message itself. In fact, his players still thank Rhodes today for the life lessons he taught.

Rhodes’ positive influence on the lives of young athletes and his success on the court are the reasons he was selected for induction into the N.C. High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame. The banquet and induction ceremony is set for 6 Saturday at the Friday Center in Chapel Hill.

Rhodes, who turned 80 on March 17, will be among eight inductees with this class. Among the others is former Shelby football coach Jim Taylor.

“It’s a nice honor to be shared with a bunch of people,” Rhodes said. “You’ve got assistant coaches that helped you and you can’t do this without sharing it with the players because they’re the ones that put you where you are.”

Rhodes, a graduate of High Point Central High School who went on to play football at East Carolina University, coached from 1956 through 1970 at the old Ashley High in Gastonia and then the next 20 years at Ashbrook. Rhodes compiled a 336-174 record and won 10 conference championships as a varsity head boys basketball coach. His 1967 team claimed the NCHSAA 4A state title. The Ashbrook gymnasium has been named in his honor.

Rhodes was the head coach at Ashbrook when the Green Wave faced West Charlotte in a game at the Charlotte Coliseum on Feb. 28, 1979, that drew a whopping 10,076 fans.

Rhodes also coached golf for 33 seasons combined at the two schools, and then helped manage a number of NCHSAA golf tournaments. He earned numerous coach-of-the-year honors in both golf and basketball.

As many good times as Rhodes can recall on the court, some of the low moments sometimes stand out most to him. The 1974-75 season was one such example as Rhodes recalls no seniors returning for that season and only three juniors on the team.

“The kids worked hard. They were motivated. I looked at the schedule and thought, ‘Well, we might win four ballgames.’ But we didn’t do that.”

One day after the season, Rhodes was golfing when somebody yelled across the way, “How you doing, 1-20?”

That was the Green Wave’s final record that season, but Rhodes somehow drew a positive from the trying year. The team elevated itself to 15 wins and third place in the conference the next season.

“I enjoyed that year as much as any year that I had coaching because of the attitudes the kids had,” Rhodes said. “They worked that much harder and it paid off for the next year.”

Saturday will mark the second time Rhodes is inducted into a hall of fame. He’s been a member of the Gaston County Sports Hall of Fame since 1979.

The City of Gastonia also plans to recognize Rhodes with a proclamation at the city council meeting Tuesday.

The rest of this year’s NCHSAA Hall of Fame class includes Donnie Baxter of Asheboro, Ronnie Chavis of Pembroke, Lawrence Dunn of Raleigh, Doug Henderson of Greensboro, Lindsey Page of Burlington and Robert Steele of Salisbury. The 27th group of inductees brings to 148 the number enshrined.

Schrum played a central role in pitching Rhodes for the NCHSAA Hall of Fame after learning at a basketball reunion in 2011 that Rhodes hadn’t already been inducted.

“While we thought we were learning to play basketball, little did we know that we were actually establishing the foundations that have molded us for the rest of our lives,” Schrum said. “Imagine the hundreds of players whose lives have been touched by this special man.”